A defence of the Apologie of the Churche of Englande conteininge an answeare to a certaine booke lately set foorthe by M. Hardinge, and entituled, A confutation of &c. By Iohn Iewel Bishop of Sarisburie.

The Apologie, Cap. 22. Diuision. 3.

For, where these menne bid the Holy Scriptures away, as doumbe∣and frutelesse, & procure vs to comme to God him selfe rather, who speaketh in the Churche, & in theire Councelles, that is to saie, to be∣leue their fansies, and opinions: this waie of finding out the Truthe is very vncertaine, and exceeding dangerous, and in manner a fanta∣stical & madde waie, & by no meanes allowed of the Holy Fathers.

M. Hardinge.

VVhere they saie, we passe but litle on the Scriptures, as dumbe and vnprofitable, therein they ‡ slaunder vs, as in other thinges. VVe do not so. But we saie, that as euery act of Parlament must be executed by a lawful Iudge, so the holy Scriptures haue their execution by lauful Iudges, who are the bishoppes and fathers, as wel in other places, as specially when they be laufully assembled in general councelles. Now saie these men, that way is very vncertaine, dangerous, in maner mad, and not allo∣wed of the fathers. VVho euer heard men thought to haue their right wittes, talke after so loose a sorte? Did the fathers disproue the order of comming together in general councelles? Or thought they the same to be a way for men to be the soner deceiued? If so many maie be deceiued with moste diligent studie and mature iudgement conferring together, howe mutche soner may one or two alone ••eadde by priuate phansie and self wil, be caried away into errour? At the Nicene councel came to∣gether. 318 bishops: At the first of Cōstantinople. 150. at the Ephesine coūcel. 200. At that of Chalcedō 630 Al these foure councelles sundry ancient fathers, namely S. Gregorie, estemed as the foure Gospels. Yea but saith he, I haue the word of God. But what if 300. farre holier, and better learned men saie, he hath it not? Let the reader be iudge. saith be. A meete iudge, in suche a cause. The Scholers maie reade, but iudge of their maisters they maie not by Christes doctrine, who said, Non est discipulus supra ma∣gistrum, the scholer is not aboue his maister. VVhy not, for al that, saie you, if the Holy Ghost inspire him? Sir, is it not to be thought, God doth assist his Churche represented in sutche solemne assemblies of three hundred or moe fathers gouernours of Christen people, rather then one man?

The B. of Sarisburie.

Whether ye cal the Scriptures of God a Dumbe thing, or no, I reporte me to that, is saide before. One of you calleth it Mortuum Atramentum, Dead Inke: An other saith, Scriptura est res inanimis, & muta: The Scripture is a dead and a dumbe thinge: An other calleth the Scriptures, Nigrum Euangelium, The blacke Gospel. Nowe if the Scriptures be Dead, and Doumbe, and can not speake, then must it needes folowe, they are vnprofitable. Neither doo we despise the Autho∣ritie of Councelles. Good Councelles be graue, and reuerende. But thus we saie, Councelles are often against Councelles: And, if wee make rekening of number, the Arian Heretiques haue had moe Councelles, then the Christians. S. Hierome

saithe, Spiritus Sancti Doctrina est, quae Canonicis literis prodita est: Contra quam si quid statuant Concilia, nefas duco: That is the Doctrine of the Holy Goste, that is set abroade in the Canonical Scriptures: Againste whiche Doctrine if Councelles determine any thing, I thinke it vvicked.

S. Chrysostome saithe further in more earneste sorte: Plus aliquid dicam: Ne Paulo quidem obedire oportet, si quid dixerit proprium, si quid humanum: I wil saie more: Wee ought not to beleeue, no not Paule him selfe, if he speake any thinge of his owne, or if he speake onely as a man.

And to encrease the vncertaintie hereof, the whole weighte, and iudgemente of Councelles hangeth nowe euermore vpon the Pope: as it maie appeare by these woordes of the Conclusion of the late Chapter at Trident: Salua semper in omnibus Sedis Apostolicae Authoritate: The Authoritie of the Apostolique See in al thinges euermore reserued. But Platyna saithe, as it is alleged before, Acta priorum Pontificum sequentes Pontifices semper aut infringunt, aut omninò tol∣lunt: The Popes, that folowe, doo euermore either breake, or wholy abrogate the Decrees of the Popes, that were before.

Whether the Scripture bee wel alleged, or otherwise, thereof, ye saie, the people maie not Iudge. For Christe saithe, The Scholar is not aboue his Maister. Cer∣tainely, M. Hardinge, the simplest of al the people, notwithstandinge, by youre restrainte, he maie not iudge of the Scriptures, yet he maie easily iudge of you, either that ye vnderstande not, or that ye vnaduifedly abuse the Scriptures. Whether it be the Woorde of God, or no, the people, ye saie, maie not Iudge: And that ye proue euen by the Scriptures, God knoweth, ful handsomely, and ful discretely applied: For the Scholar (ye saie) is not aboue his Maister. Thus we maie learne by the Logique of Louaine, that Populus is Latine for a Scholar: & that Scrip∣ture is Latine for a Maister. And thus by youre vaine premisses without sense ye proceede vainely, and conclude nothinge.

O, M. Hardinge, haue some regarde to that ye write. The simpleste maie soone espie your dooinges. Ye can no longer thus mocke the worlde with shewes of woordes. Christe spake not these woordes of the vnderstandinge of the Scriptures: but of persequution for the Scriptures. For thus the woordes lie togeather: When they shal persecute you in one Cittie, flee into an other, &c. The Scholar is not aboue his Maister: Nor the Seruant aboue his Lorde. If they haue called the Maister of the house Beelzebub, howe mutche more wil they so cal his housholde seruountes?

Alas, where learned you to frame sutche Argumentes, The Apostles, bee∣ing the Scholars, can nomore escape persecutiō, then could Christe, that vvas the Maister: Ergo, The people cannot vnderstande, vvhat they reade in the Scriptures? Here is neither Antecedente, nor Consequente, nor Sequele in Reason. For the honour of y^V Uniuersitie, haue better regarde vnto your Logique.

Ye bewraie the weakenesse of youre cause, when yee so sclenderly abuse the Scriptures.

Notes

• ‡

  Vntruthe. For these be youre ovvne Felovves vvoordes. Reade the Ansvveare.
• Gregorius Naziāzen{us} saith, He neuer savve good comme of any Councel.
• Math. 10.
• Cap. 19. Diui. 1. Ludouicus in Con. Triden. Episcop. Picta∣uien. in Con. Triden. Albert. Pigghi. Controuer. 3. Eckius.
• The peo∣ple cannot Iudge.
• Hierom. in epist. ad Galath.
• Chrysost. In. 2. ad Timoth. Hom. 2.
• Concil. Triden. Session. 6. Platyna in Ste∣phano.
• Matthae. 10.